My job interviewing experience
real examples of really strange first impressions
Most articles about first impressions begin with a pseudo-scientific fact about why the first seven seconds of any human encounter marks the entire future relationship. I am not a scientist, and I am not a psychologist, but I have interviewed a LOT of candidates – and I can definitely confirm that yes, in my experience, the candidates who give amazing first impressions are normally chosen for the job. Why? Because if it’s not a good first impression, then it’s an unimpressive one. Let me share some examples from my personal experience of, shall we say, “unconventional” behaviour when meeting the interviewer (me!) for the first time.
This is a workplace. Not your living room
We all know the expression mí casa es tu casa, right? Well, please immediately discount that for anything related to a job interview. Whether standing at reception or sitting in the office lobby, you are in a working environment. That means strictly: no eating food, no reclining on the furniture, no chatting on the phone, no stealing the remote control of the reception TV, and absolutely no bringing your boyfriend along to your job interview.
I may sound harsh, but these are real-life events I encountered as I collected various candidates from the reception area. The result? I felt these candidates weren’t taking the interview seriously, even if it wasn’t the case. At the very least, I got the impression that they were out of touch with basic professional manners.
“It made it difficult to break the ice, and it set the tone for an uneasy interview.”
Arrive in style
In my experience, there are still plenty of candidates who arrive late, or confuse times, or even show up at the wrong office. The resulting stress, sweat and inability to breathe as the candidate runs late into the interview does not look fun. And it’s not exactly a good indicator of exceptional organisation skills, either. However, there is an easy way to avoid this happening in the first place. Double-check the interview time and address, plan your route in advance and leave ample time to arrive there. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Small talk. Yes, it is trivial, and yes, it is important.
Typically, interviews start with small talk (and if your interviewer is British, expect to give a full weather report here). As “unfair” as it seems, this is an opportunity to connect with the interviewer and consequently – you guessed it – make a good first impression. Unfortunately, some struggle in this stage. I remember one candidate who only gave me one-word answers to my customary questions (how are you today? – fine; Would you like some water? – Ok.). It made it difficult to break the ice, and it set the tone for an uneasy interview. In contrast, the candidates with big smiles, easy conversation and a positive attitude were the ones I instinctively looked forward to interviewing.
Play the game
The frustrating thing about most job interviews is that even if you are the perfect candidate for the job, you still need to impress the interviewer. In order to succeed, you need to follow a specific code of conduct. It almost feels like a game at times. But luckily there are rules to the game, and once you learn them, you can play – and win. In the case of good first impressions, it’s as simple as this: remember to give one.
Susie Shields
I train people to use English in a professional context. In my one-to-one sessions, online course and social media platforms, you’ll master tools to flourish in your English-speaking workplace. From job interviews to work meetings to presentations and more, you’ll prepare for professional challenges and speak with success.
